What is coming of age?

Coming of age is a term used to describe the transition between childhood and adulthood.
(so coming of age is the time or a particular age when a child will become an adult.)
For some cultures, coming of age is determined at certain age when a child is no longer a minor. Other
cultures determine a child’s coming of age when he or she hits puberty or a particular age. Traditionally,
many of these coming-of-age ceremonies signify that that the child has entered adulthood, and has
become a full member of the community. While these ceremonies do not typically align with the
standards of adulthood, they mark an important period in an adolescent’s life as they begin to take more
responsibilities and rights within their family as well as their community.
(so para sa iba’t ibang kultura, ang bagay na ito ay nagkakaiba kung kelan pumapasok ang isang
bata to adulthood base sa particular na edad o kung ano ang sinusunod nila sa kanilang kultura.
these transition period of a child from different cultures and religions do not carry the standards of
adulthood, it is a transition when a child becomes responsible and had an obligation as they fully
becomes a part of their community. Para mas maintindihan natin, talakayin natin yung iba,t ibang
mga kultura at relihiyong ito.)
Different culture and religions recognize this transition through sacred rites or celebrations.
(Ano-ano nga ba ang kultura at relihiyong mga ito?)

Bar and Bat Mitzvah

 This is a Jewish ritual that mark the transition into adulthood for young Jews. At age of 13, a boy
becomes a Bar Mitzvah and at the age of 12-13, a girl becomes a Bat Mitzvah.
 Bar and Bat Mitzvah means “Son and Daughter of Commandment”
(Bakit nga ba Son and Daughter of Commandment)

 What is in the ceremonies?

(The ceremonies for boys and girls have the same patterns on how they celebrated it.)
 Bar Mitzvah happens around a boy’s 13 th birthday and for the girls, Bat Mitzvah happens
in their 12th birthday. The boy, who has prepared for the ceremony by spending a lot of
time studying it, reads from the Torah. The boy puts on the Tefillin for the first time. The
Rabbi gives a talk to both boy and his family and to the rest of community. The ceremony
for Bat Mitzvah follows the same pattern to the Bar mitzvah but for girls, this happens to
their 12th birthday. Traditionally, males and females are not thought to have the sane
responsibilities. As a result, in some Jewish communities, some rules are less strict for
girls than they are for boys.

 After these ceremonies, Jewish boys or girls become responsible for living according to
Jewish Law. At this point, each young person has to accept the law and its obligations,
participate fully in services at the synagogue and set a good example for others.
 (So that is why son and daughter of commandment they are called. They are now had an
obligation to follow their beliefs and traditions of their religion. Sila na ngayon ay
committed sa kanilang mga paniniwala at kaugaliang meron sila.)

2. Bullet Ant Initiation

 In the Brazilian Amazon, young boys belong to the indigenous Satere-Mawe tribe mark their
coming of age when they turn 13 in a Bullet ant Initiation. The tradition goes as so: They search
the jungle for bullet ants which are sedated by a leader who submerges them in an herbal
solution. The ants are then weaved into gloves with stinges pointed inwards. An hour or so later,
the ants wake angrier than ever, and the initiation begins. Each boy has to wear the gloves for 20
times for 10 minutes over a span of several months before the initiation is complete.

3. Rumspringa

 In Amish tradition, Rumspringa marks the time when youth turn 16 and are finally able to enjoy
unsupervised weekend away from family. During this time, they are encouraged to enjoy
whatever pleasures they like, be the modern clothing or alcohol. In this way, returning to their
community and way of life thus is entirely their choice. Those who return are then baptized and
become committed members of the Amish church and community, marking the end of
Rumspringa.
4. Quinceanera

 In Latin America cultures, a celebration is held upon a girl’s 15 th birthday called a Quinceanera. It
is seen as an important celebration marking a girl’s passage to womanhood. It is a religious as
well as a social event which emphasizes the importance of family and community in the
recipient’s life.
5. Sweet Sixteen

 A common birthday celebration for both boys and girls in the United States and Canada is the
“Sweet Sixteen” party. While this celebration lacks the traditional, cultural and religious aspect of
other coming-of-age ceremonies, it signifies for many the start of the freedom, as well as the
responsibilities of adulthood. In this age, they are already allowed to earn their driver’s license.
6. Inuit

 In North Baffin Island, Inuit boys have traditionally gone out to the wilderness with their fathers
between the ages of 11 and 12 to test their hunting skills and acclimatize to harsh arctic weather.
As part of the tradition, a shaman would be called to open the lines of communication between
men and animals. Nowadays, however, this tradition has extended to the young girls.
7. Khatam Al Koran

 In Malaysia, 11 is a special birthday for some Muslim, as it marks the time when they can
celebrate Khatam Al Koran, a prestigious ritual that demonstrates their growing maturity at their
 local mosque. Girls spend years preparing for this day, reviewing the Koran so they can recite the
final chapter before friends and family at the ceremony.

8. Maasai

 The Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania have several rites if passage that carry boys into manhood.
Boys between the ages of 10-20 come together to be initiated as the new “warrior class” of the
tribe, placed in dozens of houses built for the occasion. The night before the ceremony, boys
sleep outside in the forest and return at dawn for festivities and after the celebration, they are
ready to be circumcised into a man, warrior, and protector. For the next 10 years the boys will
stay at warriors camp where they learn various skills.
9. Land Divers

 In Vanuatu, a small island nation in the middle of the South Pacific, young boys come of age by
jumping off of a 98-foot tall tower with a bungee-like vine tied to their ankles. Boys initially
begin jumping at around 7 or 8. In their first dives their mother will hold an item representing
their childhood, and after the jump the will be thrown away, symbolizing the end of childhood.
10. Seijin-no-Hi

 In Japan, the second Monday of January marks a special day in which 20 years old men and
women get to dress up in their finest traditional attire, attend a ceremony in local city offices,
receive free gifts, and party to their hearts’ content amongst friends and family.
11. Ji Li and Guan Li

 Ji Li (for girls) and Guan Li (for boys) are ceremonies of coming-of-age in some parts of China
that typically honors youth who have turned 20. This ceremony provides fun opportunity to wear
traditional dress. This is also an opportunity to follow typical Ji Li practices such as making hair
buns, attaching hair pins, and paying tribute t Huangdi, a Chinese ancestor.
12. Sunrise Ceremony

 The Apache Tribe, a native American group based in the southwest United States, has a coming-
of-age ceremony that takes place over four days. The sunrise ceremony, or Na’ii’ees, is reserved
for girls who’ve had their first period and has them partake in series of activities in which she’s
believed to embody the Changing Woman, the primary deity among the Apache. Girls
participates in a six months of teaching and at the end she blesses and heals fellow members of
her tribe.
13. Gwan Rye

 Every third month of May, Korean men and women around 20 years old celebrate en masse for
Gwan Rye. Women entering adulthood traditionally wear an ornamental hairpin and a hanbok,
the national costume, and receive three gifts: perfume, roses, and a kiss.
14. Debut
  Filipinos celebrate a girl’s 18th birthday with a debut, a big party with family and friends.
Traditionally, celebrants will also have a cotillion with 18 people to perform choreographed
dance numbers that often take months to practice.
15. Mepandes

Confirmation

 Confirmation is considered a sacrament, ritual or rite of passage in several Christian

denominations. It is an important ceremony marking the confirmed’s commitment to their faith in
their churches. This a sign that the confirmed is now a full member of their faith and community
and is seen as transition from childhood to adulthood in the Christian faith.

(Confirmation in the Christian faith ay maihahalintulad natin sa Bar and Bat Mitzvah sa
Jewish Faith, it is because these are ceremonies where participants become full member of
their faith and community.
What is in the ceremony?
(so several Christian denominations held this ceremony in different ways.)

 In the Catholic faith, confirmed is anointed with oil, usually by a bishop, and takes on the name
of a saint as their confirmation name. In the Angelican and Episcopal church the rite is conferred
through the laying of the hands. In Methodish church, confirmation is given after a public
statement of faith and prayer led by a minister. Different churches have their own ways in
confirmation ceremonies but it is usually occurs around the age of 14.

(after the ceremony or the service, meron pang ganap na salo-salo to celebrate their
renewed commitment to their faith as well as their transition towards adulthood in the eyes
of their church.)